THOUSAND OAKS, Calif., Dec. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Cross of California (BCC) has launched a Web site called NuestroBien ("Our Well Being") to help promote health and wellness in the state's Latino community. Located at http://www.nuestrobien.com/, the site is designed to provide educational content for the Latino community and focuses on prevention, nutrition and early detection of health issues. It is available in both English and Spanish.
Nuestrobien.com contains facts about the leading health care problems for Latinos, tips on improving health, and links to the Blue Cross of California Web site, where those interested can apply for health coverage. A "Kids Center" contains games and animated clips on how the human body works. Over 600 health related articles for parents, teens and kids are available in both languages.
"NuestroBien is an important outreach by our organization to the Latino community, which has been historically underserved," said Charlene Maher, Vice President and General Manager, Individual Services. Latinos comprise more than half of the 6.3 million Californians who lack health insurance, even though they constitute only 31% of the state's population. They are three times more likely to lack health insurance than other Californians.
"Our goal is to offer consumers new online tools that make it easy, convenient and familiar for them to get the information they need to make the best choices possible about their health and health care options," said Mary Scanlon, senior vice president of eBusiness consumer technology for WellPoint, Inc., BCC's parent company. "With NuestroBien, Spanish-speaking consumers now have a valuable resource of health and wellness information for better decision-making for themselves, their children and their families."
Nuestrobien.com is part of BCC's overall commitment of outreach to California's uninsured and underserved populations. Products such as Tonik (offered by BC Life & Health Insurance Company), designed for young Americans who are either unable or disinclined to purchase traditional health insurance, and BeneFits, aimed at small businesses that have historically been incapable of offering coverage to their employees, have created new and affordable health care options and are currently in the process of being expanded to new markets. BCC will continue to develop affordable health products for Latino and other uninsured and underserved markets in California.
"NuestroBien will prove an important key in our ongoing mission to provide affordable healthcare coverage to Californians," Maher said.
About Blue Cross of California:
Blue Cross of California is a subsidiary of WellPoint, Inc. . WellPoint's mission is to improve the lives of the people it serves and the health of its communities. WellPoint, Inc. is the largest publicly traded commercial health benefits company in terms of membership in the United States. WellPoint, Inc. is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and serves its members as the Blue Cross licensee for California; the Blue Cross and Blue Shield licensee for Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri (excluding 30 counties in the Kansas City area), Nevada, New Hampshire, New York (as Blue Cross Blue Shield in 10 New York City metropolitan counties and as Blue Cross or Blue Cross Blue Shield in selected upstate counties only), Ohio, Virginia (excluding the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.), Wisconsin; and through UniCare. Additional information about WellPoint is available at http://www.wellpoint.com/.
